AUSTIN | Projects & Construction II - Page 268

Saddle Man · #**5341** Posted **Jun 6, 2009, 8:35 AM**

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LoneStarMike · #**5342** Posted **Jun 6, 2009, 8:50 AM**

Great photos Kevin - especially from the old Whole Foods garage.

hookem · #**5343** Posted **Jun 6, 2009, 9:34 AM**

Holy crap, my favorite photos of Austonian and Monarch to date! Beautiful pics Kevin, thanks 10X!!!

Mopacs · #**5344** Posted **Jun 6, 2009, 11:40 AM**

Great photos Kevin! St Edwards view really looking impressive.

Downtown_Austin · #**5345** Posted **Jun 6, 2009, 2:04 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by Saddle Man

There are 'For Lease' signs in the windows of 21C's sales office in the Littlefield Building. I think this says a lot about this project.

I think this just says no condos. There is a hotel/museum aspect that doesn't require a retail sales center.

austin242 · #**5346** Posted **Jun 6, 2009, 2:32 PM**

Now you no what flag would look really cool. A tye-dye peace flag on top of the spire

JGFrisco · #**5347** Posted **Jun 6, 2009, 3:15 PM**

I'm not sure why people keep thinking that there is more to this project (21c) than there is.

It's dead, at least for the near term. Even they used the term "ambitious" in their literature. "Ambitious" projects don't get built in recessions. They don't get built in recovery stages either.

In the current financial and economic environment, "ambitious" projects get shuttered, because no lender is going to play ball. Not now, not next year. So why keep sales center space?

During every boom-bust cycle, ambitious stuff gets put out there during the boom. If their timing is right, it gets built (Austonian). If it's off, and they lose the race, then the project gets cancelled. This project needs a boom cycle and some luck to get off the ground. Ain't gonna happen any time soon.

The next project to go will be for a project with a track record, something that the developer can easily sell to lenders - which means Ovation or something similar. And none of that is going to happen until lenders see what kind of occupancy all the current projects get.

Moral: 21c is bowing to the inevitable - that it wouldn't be able to start construction until probably late 2011 or 2012 at the earliest. So they tabled everything, including the sales center. Maybe it will be reborn. Some projects like that are. Most are not.

Saddle Man · #**5348** Posted **Jun 6, 2009, 3:26 PM**

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Downtown_Austin · #**5349** Posted **Jun 6, 2009, 3:30 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by Saddle Man

Riiiiiiiiiiiight.

I'm sorry, did I miss something? Or, do you just disagree?

Mopacs · #**5350** Posted **Jun 6, 2009, 4:42 PM**

Here's a few "park and shoot" photos from last night while driving on the I-35 frontage road:

AustinSkyscrapers · #**5351** Posted **Jun 6, 2009, 4:48 PM**

For everyone who is on this thread,
I would like to inform you that the next city compilation for Austin, AUSTIN | Projects & Construction III, will be created as this thread closes in on 10,000 posts. Right now we have 5,352 posts. This is information from our forum administrators. Thank you for reading this announcement.

~Austin Skyscrapers

Please do not say that this thing is

. Thank You.

OU812 · #**5352** Posted **Jun 6, 2009, 9:56 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by JGFrisco

I'm not sure why people keep thinking that there is more to this project (21c) than there is.

Moral: 21c is bowing to the inevitable - that it wouldn't be able to start construction until probably late 2011 or 2012 at the earliest. So they tabled everything, including the sales center. Maybe it will be reborn. Some projects like that are. Most are not.

I think we'll finally "see" 21c in 2021

Raining Inside · #**5353** Posted **Jun 6, 2009, 10:15 PM**

They may have to change the name to 22c.

AustinSkyscrapers · #**5354** Posted **Jun 6, 2009, 11:24 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by Raining Inside

They may have to change the name to 22c.

How's that going to happen?

KevinFromTexas · #**5355** Posted **Jun 7, 2009, 12:59 AM**

Thanks guys.

Nice pics. I'm glad you went up there for some park and shoot photos, Mopacs.

I've been meaning to go too, but never have the time. I thought of braving the bike ride on the way to downtown too. There's at least one other spot I wanted to check out around there. I haven't checked, but the X/O Communications building on the southbound side of I-35, has a small parking lot. It sits on a hill, so there might be a good view there.

They were taking down the last parts of the crane today. They had a mobile crane on-site removing it. I was up in Round Rock today and saw a semi turning right onto Sam Bass Road from I-35 (coming from Austin). It had a red section of crane on the trailer. It MUST have been part of Spring's crane.

Quote:

Originally Posted by JGFrisco

The next project to go will be for a project with a track record, something that the developer can easily sell to lenders - which means Ovation or something similar. And none of that is going to happen until lenders see what kind of occupancy all the current projects get.

Supposedly 360 has only one unit left out of 433, so that's not bad.

AustinSkyscrapers · #**5356** Posted **Jun 7, 2009, 1:21 AM**

So there's no more Spring crane right? I can't believe 360 has about 97% unit efficiency. Glad to hear.

I want to take photos of the skyline too but I don't have my personal camera plus I don't have a drivers license.

zx14 · #**5357** Posted **Jun 7, 2009, 7:24 AM**

Watched the Lee Majors movie Steel last night. It shows the construction of the Kincaid towers here in Lexington. At 333 feet and 22 floors it is not the tallest but very cool to watch a icon of lexington being built and as part of a movie. The question for anyone who knows is as follows. In that construction it appears to be hanging steel. Meaning a box girder of steel put together. All the new buildings in Austin appear to be rebarb steel surrounded by poured concreet. Then the next level of flooring is put on top. What is this difference and why? Do they just not build them like they used to anymore?

fltnpatx · #**5358** Posted **Jun 7, 2009, 7:39 AM**

Steel construction is less expensive but more prone to noise and vibration. That is why you see poured concrete used in most condos and apartments downtown.

JGFrisco · #**5359** Posted **Jun 7, 2009, 2:27 PM**

360 really was a model project. Beautiful design, beautiful building. Attractive floor plans, nice views, nice location. The prices were right, and it was well-marketed.

The developer found a market, and hit it. They had a track record of creating similar projects, followed their plan, and had success.

21c doesn't seem to know what it wanted to be. They've also never done anything like it before.

I do expect Novare to get the next one going. They have the best chance of convincing financiers that their project is sound.

StoOgE · #**5360** Posted **Jun 7, 2009, 4:31 PM**

Do we know if the city managed to sell the land for the water treatment project? Or did it ever get that far?

I know that nothing of that scale is going to be built in this economy.. just curious how far along it got before everything went to hell.